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UAVs aren’t ‘unmanned’

What’s in a name? Sometimes, quite a lot.

An Air Force general has proposed changing the name of unmanned aerial vehicles to RPVs, or remotely piloted vehicles.

At first blush, the notion seems silly, a distraction in the midst of two wars. But what the general is suggesting deserves serious consideration — by all the services.

The proposed name change signifies the enormous cultural shift already underway in the military, and the Corps is no exception.

Building on the success of its Pioneer and Dragon Eye drones, which have been invaluable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tools for Marine commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq, the service continues to expand its unmanned fleet. Only a year ago, Marine Corps leaders activated a third UAV squadron. And moving forward, the Corps wants to field an unmanned cargo helicopter to resupply Marines operating out of far-flung outposts in Afghanistan.

But what’s lost in all the gee-whiz technology is the very real human input these systems require, and the fact that the services will need to train thousands to operate and maintain this machinery.

As Air Force Gen. William Fraser, vice chief of staff, put it: “Unmanned systems are unmanned in name only.”

“Remotely piloted vehicles” more accurately describes the aircraft — and recognizes that highly trained and skilled troops are flying them.

Top leaders should embrace the term as a reminder that these aircraft of the future, though dazzlingly sophisticated and endlessly promising, are useless without the troops who, in fact, pilot them.